1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protective gear, such as helmets, shin/knee protection, used in physical activities such as sports, and more particularly to padding used in the protective gear.
2. Background Art
Protective gear, especially of the type used in sports, has evolved over the years. The athletes have become stronger and faster, and the equipment and the play have evolved in such a way that the protective gear must constantly be improved to protect the players adequately.
For instance, in hockey, numerous head injuries have been recorded in the past decades. Helmets have therefore been modified to improve their shock absorption capacity. Accordingly, helmet padding has gone from being constituted of a few humidity-absorbing polyurethane-foam cushions glued directly to the rigid outer shell, to individual padding members each made of a shock-absorbing expanded polymer pad (e.g., expanded polypropylene) supporting a softer impermeable comfort pad interfaced between the head of the wearer and the polymer pad.
One of the issues associated with such padding members is that they require a non-negligible amount of adhesive to be connected to the rigid outer shell. Moreover, the constituting members of such padding members, i.e., the polymer pad and the impermeable comfort pad, are also glued together. This is not an optimal connection, as some padding members can get inadvertently detached. Also, the assembly of such helmets is labor-intensive. Finally, the finish of expanded padding shows traces of foam beads, and is also not optimal.